REVIEW: Reacher – Season 3, Episode 2, “Truckin'”

Television Reviews

“Truckin’” is our first real indication of what season 3 of Reacher will look like. Now that “Persuader” has set things in motion, the show can mine the premise of Reacher going undercover for tension, thrills, and a few laughs, while his DEA handlers watch and assist from the sidelines. While not an all-timer, “Truckin’” is a step up from the season premiere, introducing some interesting wrinkles to the plot and putting the screws to Reacher while introducing a surprisingly intelligent bad guy.

Zachary Beck and his henchmen send Reacher on a couple of assignments as he gets his feet wet in their organization. Reacher tries to determine how and to what extent Beck’s people are watching him. The phony kidnapping may be exposed. Duffy grows restless waiting for news on her informant, Teresa Daniels. Reacher calls an old friend for help.

“Truckin’” opens with the first of what will surely be many races against time for Reacher this season. After inspecting the hidden loft for clues pointing to Teresa’s location or fate, Reacher heads back to his room before anyone finds him, which involves a lot of running and hiding as he traverses the mansion’s grounds. There are guards patrolling outside, but the real danger comes when Duke, Beck’s second-in-command, walks towards Reacher’s room looking for him. Suddenly, it’s not just about avoiding detection but making sure no one discovers his absence in the time it takes for someone to climb a flight of stairs. This is routine stuff for an undercover storyline, but it works, and you can’t help but feel like Reacher is on the verge of being caught as his massive frame climbs the wall of the mansion while Duke leisurely walks to his room. Compounding this is that Duke doesn’t seem to like Reacher much and probably wouldn’t mind having an excuse to shoot him. And this is just the first close call Reacher has this week.

***SPOILERS***

Reacher spends “Truckin’” going on menial assignments for Beck, both of which come with their share of danger. First, he has to accompany another henchman to a police storage lot to take pictures of the truck that hit Richard Beck’s car, looking for clues that point to the “kidnapper’s” identity. The problem is that Richard’s car is also there – or, rather, the stand-in for Richard’s car Duffy and her team used to stage the kidnapping attempt. If Beck’s man sees a car with no blood, he may get suspicious, so Duffy has to remove the car before Reacher gets there. Afterwards, Reacher is told to drive another truck to a lot somewhere with a delivery, and he’s given a set amount of time to get there, making inspecting the truck difficult. In both cases, Reacher has to think on his feet, cover up evidence, and avoid suspicion, and as he realizes, these are simple loyalty tests; the real dirty jobs haven’t even begun yet. “Truckin’” feels like the template for much of what we’ll see in the coming episodes, and that’s good news because it is steeped in tension despite being so early in the season. I think season 3 will be about suspense more than action, and that’s fine, especially if the show keeps executing it this well.

The key component to the danger in both of these situations is “Angel Doll,” the lackey who goes to the storage lot with Reacher. When he first shows up, he seems like a dopey thug, talking himself up more than he probably deserves, revealing a bit more than he should to a stranger (like that Beck is not the mastermind of their operation), and taking things fairly lackadaisically as he tries to buddy up with Reacher. But once they get to the depot, Angel Doll reveals himself to be unexpectedly smart, picking up on the suspicious nature of the clean car that supposedly belonged to Richard Beck. In fact, he also notices that the license plates are from a different state, casting further doubt on the kidnapping. Reacher’s cover story – that this is obviously a different vehicle, and Richard’s car is somewhere else – seems to work, but in the episode’s final moments, when Reacher believes he’s gotten away with everything, Angel Doll reveals that he didn’t buy the story and has still more questions. This is a great character, lulling you into a false sense of security because of his perceived ineptitude, the same way he does to Reacher, before springing a trap with his hidden intelligence. And there are clues that Angel Doll is smarter than he seems, like when he tells Reacher that he was the one who looked up his fingerprints and that he has connections everywhere. Reacher’s solution to the problem is hilarious – he smashes Angel Doll’s head against a desk and kills him instantly – but it also reinforces that this is new territory for Reacher, who is more comfortable relying on his physical power rather than ingratiating himself with criminals.

Despite this, it still feels like Reacher is making too many mistakes, things that, despite his lack of finesse, he should know better than to do. For example, Angel Doll is a friendly guy who keeps trying to be Reacher’s pal. Why not lean into this and get Angel Doll’s trust? All Reacher’s standoffish attitude does is make Angel Doll more suspicious of him. He’s also still asking too many questions, especially of people who already don’t trust him, like Duke. At this point, it’s a better idea to be a little more agreeable to throw them off his scent. On the other hand, Reacher also has some good ideas, and he knows how to think on his feet, like when he comes up with a way to give himself more time to cover for opening the truck’s lock by handing the tracking device to one of the DEA guys so he can ride around with it. And the cover story he comes up with for the car is probably the best anyone could have done under the circumstances. It’s also wise of him to call Neagley and ask her for help, considering the limited manpower of his team. (Not for a second do I think Neagley will stay out of this, of course.) Duffy also does some dopey things, like trying to beat information out of the guy they captured; she loves talking down to her two colleagues, but they’re right about her causing more trouble than she’s solving. And watching her try to move the 4×4 blocking the car in the garage was hilarious.

I tend to think “Truckin’” is Reacher season 3 finding its groove, which we’ll likely know for sure after the third episode. There are still a few instances of characters acting dumb, but there’s plenty of tension, good demonstrations of Reacher thinking quickly under pressure, and the moment in time that was Angel Doll. This one leaves a better impression than the premiere, and I’m interested to see where Reacher’s investigation takes him.

Let us know what you thought of “Truckin’” in the comments!

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